DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Tall oak trees fill Edison Park in Dearborn, but that may not be the case much longer. Neighbors are worried that the trees will be cut down in the coming years for a possible sewer project.
Watch Megan Lee's report below
"We love our neighborhood and we don’t want to see it all torn apart," said Dearborn resident Tracy Gatt.
It's the neighborhood near Elmdale Street that runs next to the Ford World Headquarters.
“It would be a shame to lose all this. Because you can re plant the trees but it takes a long time," Gatt said.
Edison Park is a little slice of heaven for the residents who live nearby.
“I don’t want people to cut down trees and ruin the park," said Charlotte, another Dearborn resident.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud met with hundreds of residents Tuesday night to answer questions about a possible flooding prevention and sewer separation project. He says the goals of the multi-year, $100 million project are to accomplish two major concerns in the city: flooding and keeping the River Rouge clean.
“I want to assure you, we’re going to do the best we can to minimize any impact to any trees, anywhere," Hammoud said. “The sewer separation increases our capacity and it puts in alignment with the requirements by the state department to reduce all the excess stuff we’re putting in the rouge river.”
Neighbors are wondering why Elmdale is the target for this project. Gatt tells me she has never had flooding issues, but understands the city is working to upgrade the infrastructure.
“How many people here have had basements flood in this neighborhood? How many people have not had basements flood?” Gatt wondered. “If they gotta solve a problem, I’m not opposed to solving a problem if there is one but there should be a less intrusive way to do it.”
Meanwhile, Cheryl Hawkins knows the devastation of a flood all too well.
"It's heartbreaking when you throw out all those memories and stuff like that," Hawkins, who supports the sewer project, said.
Hawkins says some of her neighbors have been dealing with flooding for decades.
“It’s exciting to see that we might have some type of relief down the road," she said.
Hawkins said her son is an engineer for the city. However, the flooding issues have been going on far longer.
Mayor Hammoud said there will be more concrete plans for this project in the next 18 months. He says there should be a design plan by the end of 2028.
